Enrollment
868
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Katy, TX
Joella Exley El
Federal NCES profile for Joella Exley El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 482517010765
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 71
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Joella Exley El earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of Texas schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #18 of 54
- schools in Katy · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.4:1
- small classes for Texas
- 35.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Joella Exley El has class sizes smaller than 73% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Joella Exley El ranks #18 of 54 schools in Katy, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
70.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.4:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.3%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-43% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Joella Exley El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Joella Exley El
Joella Exley El is a large combined-grade school in Katy, Texas, enrolling 868 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 35.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 868 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 962 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #204.
Its student body is led by White (34%) and Asian (30%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 73/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 868 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
11.8% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Katy Isd also operates Seven Lakes H S (3,773 students) and Cinco Ranch H S (3,740 students) alongside Joella Exley El.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Joella Exley El compares
Joella Exley El on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.4:1 | ▼ 16% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.3% | ▼ 43% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 868 | top 15% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.4:1
Leaner classes than 72% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
868
Bigger than 88% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
35.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 43% below the Texas average of 61.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12.4:1
students per teacher
- 16% below state mean
Top 27% in Texas - lower ratio than 73% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
11.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$11,068
per pupil, district-wide
- below Texas avg of $13,644
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 868 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 33.5%
Asian 29.7%
Hispanic or Latino 24.5%
African American 7.8%
Two or More 3.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: White at 33.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 73.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 73.2, Joella Exley El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Katy Isd, which includes Joella Exley El.
$11,068
Per student
-19%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 54.4%
State 35.6%
Federal 10.0%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Joella Exley El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seven Lakes H S | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cinco Ranch H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Katy H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Paetow H S | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Taylor H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Joella Exley El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,773
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 3,740
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 3,543
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 3,447
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 3,384
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Texas, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~868 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Joella Exley El's federal record.
- Compare Joella Exley El against another school. Compare schools
- Katy Isd's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Joella Exley El
How many students attend Joella Exley El?
Joella Exley El has 868 students enrolled. It is a public school in Katy, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Joella Exley El?
The student-teacher ratio at Joella Exley El is 12.4:1, which is 16% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 21% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Joella Exley El?
35.3% of students at Joella Exley El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Joella Exley El?
The largest demographic group at Joella Exley El is White at 33.5% of enrollment, in Katy, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 73.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Joella Exley El?
Joella Exley El has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Joella Exley El rank among schools in Katy?
By Resource Investment Index, Joella Exley El ranks #18 of 54 schools in Katy, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Katy on the city page.
Is Joella Exley El a good school?
Joella Exley El earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of Texas schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Katy Isd?
Besides Joella Exley El, Katy Isd also operates Seven Lakes H S (3,773 students), Cinco Ranch H S (3,740 students), and Katy H S (3,543 students). See the Katy Isd district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.